Apparatus for cooling coffee.



APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1916.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

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owe/14 TE STAES ATENT OFFICE,

, RICHARD A. GREENE, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To JABEZ BURNS & solvs,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR COOLING COFFEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 13, 1917.

Application filed January 31, 1916. Serial N 0. 75,472.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD A. GREENE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cooling Coffee, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for cooling coffee or other materials, which are first heated or roasted to a certain degree,

and then require rapid cooling to prevent further chemical change.

The invention is not only applicable to the roasting of coflee, but also to the treatment of various other materials, such as cereals, and even products not intended for foods, wherever rapid cooling is desired to stop or control the action of heat on the material.

For example, cofi'ee, when completely roasted is at a relatively high temperature in the neighborhood of 400 F., and when discharged from the roaster must be quickly cooled to atmospheric temperature, or will continue to roast, darkening the'color, become uneven, etc., thereby interfering with the quality and uniformity ofthe roasted coffee. It is therefore the practice to place the roasted coffee in a cooler car, consisting of sides, a perforated bottom, and a suction box below the bottom connected to an exhauster, or exhaust main. The car is usually mounted on wheels, so that it can be moved away from the roaster while the coflee is beingcooled by the exhaust, and the car is then emptied and brought back to the roaster for another charge.

The object of this invention is to improve upon the present connections between the exhaust main and the cooler car, so that the cooler car can remain connected with the exhauster, whether the position is atthe roaster or moved away from the'roaster to the discharge point. It is also contemplated by this invention to provide exhaust connections with the cooler car by which one exhaust main and cooler car continuously attached thereto can be made to serve a number of roasters, andto discharge at one or more points distant from the roasters.

It has heretofore been attempted to solve this problem by telescopic connections between an exhaust main on the floor and a cooler car traveling between the exhaust main and the roaster, but the construction of these telescopic connections has been such that the telescoping of the suction pipe interfered with the flow of air through the coffee, and consequently-the full pressure is only applied to the coffee while the cooler car is close to the roaster. As the cooler car moves away from the roaster, the telescoping of the connection to the exhaust main cuts down the suction so that in operating this apparatus it is necessary to keep the cooler car close to the roaster while the main coolmg is effected. Moreover, the exhaust connections of this apparatus have not been such as to permit the cooler car to be moved in more than one direction from the roaster, and these connections have also required an objectionable amount of floor space. In another prior construction, the cooler car is back to the exhaust main in order to be connected therewith, so that while the cooler car is being moved back and attached to the exhaust main, there is no current of air through the coffee, although this is when the application of a strong air current is most desired. Unless the air is applied to the coffee immediately upon its discharge from the roaster, especially if there is a large body of coffee discharged at a time, the absence of circulation'in the interior of the mass permits the temperature to objectionably increase, and also permits smoke and fumes to be discharged into the room, causing annoyance to the operators and also requiring vigorous stirring and shoveling by them to expose the cofi'ee to the atmosphere so as to permit the interior heat to escape before damage to the coffee occurs.

This invention obviates the above objections and inconveniences, by providing a permanent and flexible universal connection between the cooler car and the exhaust fan, or trunk exhaust main, where several cooler cars are used. The operator can thusmove the cooler car up to the roaster, open the gate to the exhaust main, and then immediately open the roaster and discharge the hot coffee intothe car, and this same exhaust pressure remains effective while the car is moved in any direction away from the roaster. Thus, the cooling of a large body of coffee is facilitated, and steam, smoke, fumes, etc., do not escape into the room. When the coffee is sufficiently cooled, the

air gate can be closed to cut off the suction. A particular feature of this invention resides in the maintaining of the continuous suction with a universally movable car of the tipping type, that is one in which the receptacle or box can be tipped to one side to discharge the contents through a chute into a bin, or to the floor below, without any interference with the air connections.

The form of invention specifically shown herein comprises an over-head air main, a depending and telescopic suction pipe attached thereto by a universal or ball joint, and a second ball joint between the lower end of the telescopic pipe and the suction box of the tipping car, this second ball or slip joint being also so constructed as to permit the car to be tipped on either side in dumping. In some instances, the car will move on tracks, and in others it will be mounted on casters, so that it can be moved in any other direct-ion, without affecting the air connection.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a. portion of a plant embodying the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the cooler car in tipped position.

1 represents a roaster of any desired form, herein shown as having a rotatable dis charge door 2, which in the position shown discharges coflee into the cooler car 3, but which can be rotated through 180 to the position shown in dotted lines inclosed by a. hood 4, while the cofiee is being roasted. The cooler car 3 comprises sides 5, preferably pivoted as in Fig. 2 to permit the coffee to be discharged when the wagon is tipped. The ends 6 are of the usual construction and the bottom 7 preferably consists of a. perforated plate, the perforations being of such size as to allow passage of air without passage of the particular material being cooled. Consequently, for coffee, the perforations would be smaller than the coffee bean, and for other materials the perforations would be correspondingly varied. The ends 6 preferably are extended clownwardly to form part of a suction box 8, and also carries trunnions 9 carried on a truck frame 10 having wheels 11, which travel on rails 12. If the cooler car is not to run on rails, the wheels 11 will be replaced by casters, which will swivel according to the well known practice as the cooler car is moved. These casters are not illustrated as their use and arrangement will be obvious to the constructor.

The suction box 8 extends through the rear end 6 of the cooler car, and ends in an upwardly turned and enlarged tube 14, having a curved surface 15, with which it engages a ball tube 16. As seen in Fig. 1, the ball tube 16 may be held in engagement with the tube 14 by a rod 17 attached to a cross bar 18, togther with a spring 19. This joint will ordinarily be sufliciently tight without packing, but of course, packing can be used if found desirable. The tube 16 is attached to an upwardly extending straight tube 20, which telescopes on a tube 21, the upper end of which is enlarged as at 22 and engages with a stationary ball ended tube 23 attached to the suction main or exhaust pipe 24. It will be seen that this exhaust main 24 is supported from the ceiling of the room, and 25 is a gate which can be operated by hand wheel 26 and rack 27. The tube 22 may have a ball joint similarly to the joint 15, 16, and the extension thereby occur at the joint of tubes 20, 21, but it is preferred to make the upper end of the tube 22 cylindrical as shown, so that it can slide or telescope on the ball 23. This permits the joint 20, 21,

to remain stationary during ordinary operation after being once adjusted for the height of the exhaust main above the floor, and sliding movement takes place between the cylindrical tube 22 and the ball 23. It is easier to make a tight joint at this point while permitting free movement of the cooling car, rather than to make a tight freely sliding joint at 20, 21. Either or both arrangements are within the scope of this in vention. The tube 22 is guided and supported relatively toball 23 by a pin 31, cooperating with opposite slots 32 in the upper end of the cylindrical tube 22. These slots are covered by plates 33 on the outside of tube 22 to prevent leakage of air.

Of course, in actual practice the details of the ball joints, the range of movements permitted, etc, will be varied according to the particular installation, and the distance the cooling car will move between the roaster and the discharge chute or other discharging point 34.

From the foregoing description, the nature and advantages of the invention will be fully understood, and it will be seen that a uniform blast will be applied to the coffee at any position of the car and that the quality of the roasted coffee will be more uniform without depending upon the manual labor of stirring and shoveling the coffee as it comes from the roaster before the suction is applied. Moreover, it will be seen that by this invention, a. tipping car can be continuously connected to the main, which has not heretofore been done, so far as I am aware. Also the car can be moved to any position without interference with the suction, and the installation does not require excessive floor space, owing to the location of the exhaust main above the floor, instead of on the floor as heretofore.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to an exhaust apparatus, as in some instances, this invention will be useful where air is to be blown to a movable car.

Various modifications and changes in the specific details and arrangements herein shown may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I declare as new and desire to secure bv Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination with a relatively stationary main, of a movable car separated from said main, and a pivoted, extensible pipe connection between said main and said cooling car.

2. The combination with an elevated relatively stationary main, of a movable car below said main, and a telescopic universal pipe connection between said main and said car.

3. The combination with a movable car, of a relatively stationary main, and a telescopic pipe universally connected to said main at one end and to said car at the other end. i

i. The combination with a movable car, of a main, a pipe comprising telescoping sections, one pivotally connected to said main and the other to said car, said sections being slidably connected to permit variation of the distance between said main and said car.

5. The combination with a traveling cooling car having a perforated bottom, of an air box below said bottom, an air main, and

an extensible air pipe pivoted at one end to said air box, and at its other end pivoted to said air main.

6. The-combination with a traveling cooling car having a perforated bottom, of an air box below said bottom, an air pipe pivoted at one end to said air box by a ball and socket joint, an air main, and a slidable ball and socket connection between the other end of said pipe and said main.

7. The combination with a movable cooling car having aperforated bottom, of an air box below said bottom, an air main and a telescopic sectional air pipe pivoted at one end to said air box, and at its other end pivoted to said air main.

8. The combination with a roaster, of a cooling cartraveling toward and from said roaster, and means for maintaining a uniform blast through said cooling car while it is being charged from said roaster and while traveling away from said roaster to be emptied.

9. The combination with a roaster, of a tipping cooling car traveling toward and from said roaster, and means for maintain ing a uniform blast through said cooling car while it is being charged from said roaster and while traveling away from said roaster and being tipped to discharge its contents.

10. The combination with a traveling tipping cooling car, of an air main, and a pivoted, telescopic pipe maintaining an air connection between said cooling car and said main both while the car is being moved and tipped.

11. The combination with a movable cooling car having a perforated bottom, of an air box below said bottom, an extensible air pipe pivoted at one end of said air box, said air pipe permitting the cooling box to be tipped relatively thereto without disturbing the connection, an air main, and a pivoted connection between the other end of said pipe and said main.

12. The combination with a traveling cooling car having an air pipe leading therefrom, said air pipe having a ball socket, of a hollow ball fitting said socket, a pipe carrying said ball, a stationary air main having a hollow ball connection, and a pipe telescoping with said first pipe and having its end cooperating with the ball connection of said main.

13. The combination with a traveling cooling car having an air pipe leading therefrom, said air pipe having a ball socket, of a hollow ball fitting said socket, means resiliently holding the socket engaged with the ball, a pipe carrying said ball, a stationary air main having a hollow ball connection, and a pipe telescoping with said first pipe and having its end cooperating with the ball connection of said main.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD A. GREENE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS A. OBRIEN, 7M. G. BURNS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

